“I’ll fly her out.”
“Hayes.”
“Contacting her now, Mr. Rutherford,” his lead security agent says.
“Nikolay.”
Nikolay ignores her and types something on his phone.
“That’s completely unnecessary,” Begonia insists, and she turns her arguments to the two security guards.
“You didn’t contact her again after you left?” Hayes murmurs to me, going right back to where we were.
Biggest regret of my life.
EvenbeforeI found out our night together had unintended consequences. “She’d gone viral for her wedding imploding—”
“We saw.”
“And I thought she was better off without having my name attached to hers.”
“Ah, the oldyou were doing her a favorexcuse.”
“Be nice,” Begonia chides, clearly listening while still arguing over not needing to have her favorite chef flown in just to make tortillas. As if Françoise wouldn’t come on her own if she knew Begonia had asked for anything. “As I recall, you tried the same on me.”
I look back, but I can’t see Emma’s house anymore.
We’ve already taken too many curves.
Also?
I’ve confirmed that there’s no mountain view from the front of Emma’s house either.
This isn’t her dream house.
At least, not the dream house she told me about in Fiji.
Hayes and Begonia are both watching me now, waiting for an explanation beyond whatever they’ve seen in private investigator reports.
“She was exactly the friend that I needed when my life was the biggest pile of shit that it had ever been, and look what I did to her,” I say.
“Jonas Rutherford, you are agood person,” Begonia says. “You’ll work this out.”
“You thinkeveryoneis a good person.”
“Her standards have improved,” Hayes assures me. “She’s right. You’re a good person. You’ve definitely fucked this up, but you’re a good person.”
“And youknowit pains him to admit that,” Begonia adds.
“He’d claim a serial killer was a good person if you asked him too,” I reply.
Hayes shakes his head. “Not this week. Maybe last week, but I’m also suffering from improved standards. And Istillthink you’re a good person.”
I’m not a good person.
Last week I would’ve agreed with him.
But now?
